A film that predicted a remarkable number of tropes that would become fashionable. True the idea of hunting humans as a sport had been around since The Most Dangerous Game but this was set in the future, with the killings televised and done as a sport, and lots of satire and groovy fashions - way before .Death Race 2000 and The Hunger Games and Turkey Shoot and The Running Man.
There's lots of good stuff - Ursula Andress looking sensational, great costumes, interesting set design, Marcello Mastroianni as the male lead, juicy satire (with an anti-American slant). The plot has a lot of twists, particularly towards the end and is progressive in a way because Andress drives a lot of the action and is as ruthless as Mastroianni. Elsa Martinelli as Mastroinanni's nagging girlfriend. And there's classic moments like Andress shooting people with a gun in her bra and being sponsored by a tea company.
It's never as much fun as you want it to be though. It's not particularly exciting - the action isn't great. There's a lot of standing around talking - it's more a chatty movie than a chase one. I got confused by the plot too every now and then even though the story is at its core quite simple.
It does give some iconic Andress moments though - who I'm coming to appreciate as a genuine star - and she's well matched with Mastroianni.
No comments:
Post a Comment